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Sigourney Weaver might play Kiri in Avatar: Fire and Ash, but her first collaboration with James Cameron was in 1986's Aliens.
In that film, Weaver reprised her role as Ripley, which saw her face off against the Alien Queen in what might be the most iconic scene of Weaver's career to protect young Newt. With the help of a Power Loader, Ripley saves the youngster with the famous line: "Get away from her, you bitch!"
Now, if you've already seen Avatar: Fire and Ash, that scene might have come to mind during the climactic confrontation sequence. Spoilers for the new movie ahead!
Varang and Neytiri clash multiple times in the film, but it's near the very end that Varang is scared away for good – not by Neytiri, but by her adopted daughter, Kiri.
Kiri connects her braid to Varang's, using the villain's own intimidation technique against her, then shouts at the woman to get away from her mother, following it up with: "Bitch!" So, not only does the moment call back to the famous Aliens scene, but it also flips the mother/daughter protective dynamic completely.
"Well, of course, I wasn't thinking about a movie I'd done so many years ago," Weaver tells GamesRadar+ when we ask about the parallel. "But, what I found very touching, especially because of the journey Kiri is on, is it's been difficult for her and her mother. And you see a lot of this, 'Ugh, don't touch me!' kind of going on in [The Way of Water] and part of [Fire and Ash], and this is the first time I feel she claims Neytiri as her mother. That's what I was thinking about. I wasn't thinking about the Power Loader, but I understand why people get some sort of reference."
Kiri does indeed embrace her place in the Sully family in this scene, after a journey that brought her closer to Eywa and her mysterious, mystical powers.
Where Kiri's journey goes next remains to be seen, but you can see her in action in Avatar: Fire and Ash, which is in theaters now.
In the meantime, check out our guide to the biggest movie release dates of this year and beyond, or catch up on the previous film with the lowdown on the Avatar: The Way of Water ending explained.
